At the Battle of Maldon - Michael Kelly - (Rosalind Jehanne cover)

My cover of another of Mistress Rosalind's wonderful pieces about great historical events and the famous literary works that describe them.

The song references the battle of Maldon (near the River Blackwater in Essex, England), in which an Anglo-Saxon force under the command of Byrhtnoth (an ealdorman in the service of King Æthelred the Unready) suffered a crushing defeat by a group of several thousand viking invaders on August 11th in the year 991. The viking army is thought to have been led by Olaf Tryggvason, who was to become the king of Norway only 4 years later.

A famous Middle English poem titled "The Battle of Maldon" describes the event. Apparently the vikings landed and offered peace in exchange for tribute, but Byrhtnoth refused.. and in his 'ofermode' (translated by some to mean pride, recklessness, or excess of courage), he allowed them access to the mainland to properly do battle rather than fighting them at the more easily defensible causeway which led to the small island midriver where they had beached their ships. Byrhtnoth was slain in battle, and rather than surrender, the majority of his men fought to the death - despite some confusion surrounding one of his men fleeing the battle on Byrhtnoth's horse.

After the defeat at Maldon, King Æthelred paid the vikings a tribute of 10,000 roman pounds (3,300 kg) of silver to end the bloodshed, the first example of Danegeld in England.

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"AT THE BATTLE OF MALDON" - written by Mistress Rosalind Jehanne (m.k.a. Jonna Bernstein)

Here must we hold
So hearken to my counsel
Felled is our lord
Slain by foemen on the field
Now we must honor
The oaths we made in mead-hall
Now we must shoulder
The burden of his shield

Great were his gifts
Of gold and noble gemstones
High were the halls
Where the heroes boasted so
He was our lord and
Loathe am I to leave him
Vow to avenge him
By vanquishing the foe

For our hands shall be the harder, and our will shall be the wiser
And our hearts shall be bolder as our strength must end
Come and follow me to glory, so that when they tell the story
We shall not be forgotten in the halls of men

I will not flee, but
farther will I follow
Boldly to battle
With broadsword in my hand
More than my life
Was the love I bore for Bryhtnoth
Fierce will I fight now
And so defend this land

Come I from kindred
Of honor and of courage
Ne'er shall they say
That I nothing was at war
Stand with me steadfast
Staunch against the Vikings
Wield ye your weapons
Like warriors of yore

For our hands shall be the harder, and our will shall be the wiser
And our hearts shall be bolder as our strength must end
Come and follow me to glory, so that when they tell the story
We shall not be forgotten in the halls of men

We stand undaunted
The last of the defenders
Stout-hearted men
Who can strike a mighty blow
We will encourage
Each other in the war-play
Let them advance now
For we shall lay them low

Death is our doom
But let us die with honor
All that lives after
Is what the bards do say
Fight to be worthy
Of fame in the future
Let them remember
The deeds we do today

For our hands shall be the harder, and our will shall be the wiser
And our hearts shall be bolder as our strength must end
Come and follow me to glory, so that when they tell the story
We shall not be forgotten in the halls of men
We shall not be forgotten in the halls of men